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Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing one shopper found out Aldi was offering a recent product collection that appeared akin to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

Rachael rushed to her nearest outlet to pick up the Lacura face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the high-end 50ml product.

Its sleek blue packaging and gold cap of each products look noticeably comparable. Although Rachael has not tested the luxury cream, she says she's satisfied by the dupe so far.

Rachael has been purchasing lookalike products from popular shops and supermarkets for some time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK shoppers report they've tried a skincare or makeup dupe. This rises to 44% among 18-34 year olds, as per a February poll.

Alternatives are beauty items that imitate bigger name labels and provide cost-effective alternatives to high-end products. These products often have similar branding and containers, but in some cases the ingredients can vary significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'Expensive Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty specialists argue certain alternatives to premium labels are decent quality and help make skincare more affordable.

"It is not true that costlier is necessarily more effective," says dermatology expert Sharon Belmo. "Not every budget skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the top."

"A number of [dupes] are really excellent," adds a podcast host, who hosts a program about famous people.

Numerous of the products inspired by luxury brands "sell out so fast, it's just insane," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"Alternatives will be effective," he says. "These items will perform the basics to a acceptable level."

Ketaki Bhate, suggests you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're likely going to be alright in opting for a dupe or a product which is fairly low cost because there's very little that can be problematic," she says.

'Don't Be Sold by the Container'

But the experts also suggest consumers investigate and say that more expensive items are at times worthy of the premium price.

With premium beauty products, you're not only funding the brand and advertising - sometimes the elevated price also stems from the ingredients and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the technology used to develop the product, and tests into the products' efficacy, she notes.

Facialist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

In some cases, she states they might have filler ingredients that lack as many benefits for the skin, or the components might not be as carefully selected.

"The major doubt is 'Why is it so inexpensive?'" she asks.

Podcast host McGlynn notes sometimes he's bought beauty products that appear comparable to a big-name brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the luxury product".

"Don't be fooled by the outer appearance," he cautioned.

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Regarding potent items or those with components that can aggravate the complexion if they're not made properly, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests using research-backed companies.

The expert states these will likely have been through comprehensive studies to determine how effective they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains consultant dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the performance of the item, it must have research to verify it, "but the manufacturer does not necessarily have to perform the testing" and can instead use evidence conducted by other brands, she adds.

Examine the Ingredients List of the Pack

Is there any ingredients that could indicate a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the label of the tube are listed by amount. "Ingredients to avoid that you should avoid… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up